THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

36 The Harmony of VirtueKeshav: This we must find out without delay. Let us takethe alphabet and see if the secret is patent there.Wilson: That is indeed looking for Truth at the bottomof a well.Keshav: Do you not see at a glance that the letters in theLatin alphabet are regular in this sense, that the dominant lineis the curve and there is no written letter without it, for thestraight lines are only used to prevent the monotony generatedby an unrelieved system of curves? In the Bengali alphabet again,which is more elaborate, but less perfect than the Latin, thereis a dominant combination of one or more straight lines withone or more curves and to obviate monotony letters purelycomposed of straight lines are set off by others purely composedof curves. In the Burmese and other dialects, I believebut from hearsay only, no line but the curve is admitted and Iam told that the effect is undeniably pretty but a trifle monotonous.Here then we have a clue. If we consider, as we havepreviously considered, every type in the universe to be a word,then, if the sentence is to be beautifully written each word mustnot only be various from its near companion but must allowone dominant principle to determine the lines on which it mustvary; and to avoid monotony there must be straight lines inthe letters, that is to say, each type must have individual typeswithin it, departing from the general type by acknowledginganother dominant principle. I am afraid this is rather intricate.Would you like it to be made clearer?Wilson: No, I perfectly understand; but I should like to guardmyself against being misled by the analogy between a beautifullywritten sentence and the beautifully arranged universe. Ifthis rule does not apply to every other form of beauty, we maynot justly compare the universe to one in which it does happento apply.Keshav: I hope you will only require me to adduce exampleof perfect beauty, for the aim of morality is to arrange a perfect,not an imperfect harmony.Wilson: Oh certainly, that is all I am entitled to require.Keshav: Then you will admit that the stars are various, yetbuilt on a dominant principle?